Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to online social-networking, and more particularly to methods and systems for creating a social-networking community and enabling the social-networking community to interoperate with other social-networking communities within a network of social-networking communities.
Related Art
It is noted that the terms “social-networking community,” and “social-networking system,” may be used interchangeably herein to refer to methods and systems for creating social-networking websites that enable publisher members to manage social-networking interactions, and that enable user members to create profiles establishing user member identities, to develop online relationships with other user members, and to manage content items.
It is further noted that the terms “website,” and “webserver” may be used interchangeably herein to refer to methods and systems for generating Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) documents, and for sending and receiving information using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and the Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer Protocol (HTTPS).
In conventional social-networking systems, user members of a social-networking community are able to have online social-networking interactions with other user members of the social-networking community, but not with user members of other social-networking communities. To have social-networking interactions with user members of another social-networking community, the user member must join the other social-networking community and communicate from within the other social-networking community.
For example, the MySpace® social-networking community enables a user member to create a profile, which establishes a MySpace® identity, and to develop online friend relationships with other user members of the MySpace® social-networking community, but not with user members of other social-networking communities, such as the Friendster® and Facebook® social-networking communities, for example. In addition, the MySpace® social-networking community enables user members to share content items within the MySpace® social-networking community only. That is, the MySpace® social-networking community does not enable user members to share their content items with members of other online social-networking communities. If a MySpace® user member wishes to share a content item with a Friendster® user member, the MySpace® user member must join the Friendster® social-networking community, create a profile to establish a Friendster® identity, and upload the content item to a website associated with the Friendster® social-networking community.
A conventional social-networking system enables publisher members and user members to upload content items that may be provided in various webpages associated with the social-networking community. However, conventional social-networking systems do not enable publisher members and user members to easily mix certain types of content items that can be displayed on webpages associated with the social-networking community. Accordingly, methods and systems for enabling publisher members and user members of social-networking communities to easily and conveniently share content items of mixed types are needed to enhance a visitor's enjoyment of webpages associated with the social-networking communities. Increased visitor enjoyment results in increased traffic to webpages of the social-networking communities and to increased membership in the social-networking communities.
Conventional social-networking systems can be created using custom software and commercially available hardware. In addition, commercially available hardware may be used in conjunction with commercially available software that provides social-networking functionality to create a social-networking system. A founder or host of a social-networking community may provide and maintain all of the hardware and software required to host a social-networking system. Alternatively, the founder may outsource development and maintenance of the social-networking system, for example to a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP). Commercial ISPs typically charge fees for software development and web hosting services. Some commercial ISPs provide web hosting services at no cost or at a reduced cost, if the ISPs are permitted to generate advertising revenues on the hosted webpages. Accordingly, methods and systems are needed for reducing costs associated with operating social-networking communities and increasing revenues generated by social-networking communities.
The present invention overcomes the above limitations associated with conventional social-networking systems.